treat yourself well.

come home to yourself for the holidays

Usually during the holidays, we think of the car rides and flights that will carry us home. Wherever that may be. Around the corner or across the country.

We focus upon the geographical location of our home, the street address and zip code. As cliché as it sounds, but frames and pipes and doors don’t constitute a “home.” It’s the life inside, the beating hearts, that turn bare walls and rooms into warmth, comfort, and peace.

Cheesiness aside, there’s a place we dwell in every day, every moment, that we rarely consider. We assume we’re always at home when waking up in the morning and going about the day. It’s not like we’re having out-of-body experiences or doing astral projection on a regular basis.

But are you really at home? Are you really acknowledging how your soul rests within your chest and breathes life into your lungs?

Here’s my holiday declaration: let’s come home for the holidays. Our own homes. The home that requires no passport to find. Your journey is internal, and its importance is boundless.

where we’re at.

So, on a regular basis, chances are you’re not entirely welcome in your home. It’s a home that we might manage to keep up “curb appeal,” make the visible parts presentable, but on the inside? Nobody sees behind closed doors.

What’s happening inside? What kind of thoughts have been sleeping on your couch for weeks, years? Is everything cluttered, or have you closed the closet door to avoid an avalanche of hoarded trash?

Take the metaphor as far as you please. Remember, your home is yours. You know it better than anybody else. We’ve seen and read up on all the ways to spruce up the interior, but even in an issue of Better Homes and Gardens, how many homes actually look like that?! Does anybody live there?!

accept your home.

Your home is yours. People can advise you on what to do with it and in it, but ultimately, the choice is yours. The artwork you hang on your walls, the candles you light, the attention you give to it…all you.

This home, like it or not, is what it is. Some cracks and crevices will never be fixed. That doesn’t make the whole structure worthless, without purpose. The beauty far overshadows the flaws.

You’ve been given this gift for a reason. God has designed you with His own two hands, fearfully and wonderfully. He made no mistakes in creating you.

appreciate your home.

Outside circumstances can weather us down. Inside turmoil can stir up chaos. I think we can all garner up a long list of all the mistakes we’ve made, the flaws we have, the ways we aren’t enough as is.

What a shame it is that our fellow humans perpetuate a world where it’s “trendy” to be depressed, hate your body, and not deflect others’ compliments. Simple acts of self-care and proclamations of self-love are “selfish” and frowned upon. We hold ourselves back by leaning on harmful crutches and reinforcing an environment unconducive to growth.

The life we live is fleeting. Each day feels normal, but so many will not wake up to see another one. The human form we inhabit has a predetermined time limit. But how amazing and beautiful it is that this “earth suit” is how our souls can experience this extraordinary earth? Answer: very much so.

If we remember our mortality, what appears to be a huge problem likely loses traction. A perspective that’s mindful and grateful can unlock immense potential. It’s the worth we place on ourselves that makes or breaks the heights we might climb to come home to ourselves.

the journey home.

What does it take to come home for Christmas?

Realize your worth. You are no less important and beautiful than every dazzling star, every tree breathing oxygen into the atmosphere amidst its intricate roots, every awe-provoking sunrise or sunset dyeing the skies.

Do what will honor your home. Give your home fresh air, clean water, nourishing sustenance. Listen to its yearnings for growth and passion and joy. Wear what makes it feel comfortable and confident. Set time aside to do the things it loves. Surround yourself with lovely thoughts, people, and environments.

Really dwell in your home. Get to know it better through reflection and meditation. Spend time alone. When you feel something, allow yourself to feel that emotion. If a thought arises, acknowledge it while allowing the cloud to pass by.

Don’t settle for your home. You don’t deserve mediocre. Set your standards reasonably high in all aspects of life. Negativity is like a household pest that requires extermination: either it’s all there, or it’s all clean. One bug inevitably leads to more. Whatever might be weighing your spirit down, internal or external, it has outstayed its welcome.

Remember that you are the caretaker of your home. It’s under your careful responsibility. How does your home truly deserve to be treated? Do you harm it for its “mistakes,” or do you give it grace? Homes require a gentle touch and consistent love. The Golden Rule should apply to yourself, too.

the holidays and beyond.

While the holidays should be merry and bright, we can quickly skew that aura into a self-deprecating one. Feeling like you’re “letting yourself go” with any extra treats, not “being productive enough” to make time for special occasions, “falling short” if you can’t do everything you’ve envisioned for the “perfect” holiday season.

The idea of perfection is like a sledgehammer knocking holes in your walls. It only causes chaos and leads to detrimental comparison of all the other houses down the block. The ones with bigger, flashier lights on display. Sure, they might appear more ideal, but what’s going inside? Where it matters most?

You are a sacred sanctuary. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise and try snuffing out your candle. You are fire and warmth and energy and comfort and a source of peace. Believe in your light; it will never go out.